The True Source
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One Power * Saidin and Saidar * Angreal Stilling/Gentling * True Power * Weaves#

The glossaries seem to be the best place for the definitions of the terms on this page.

"The driving force of the universe, which turns the Wheel of Time. It is divided into a male half (saidin) and a female half (saidar), which work at the same time with and against each other. Only a man can draw on saidin, only a woman on saidar. Since the beginning of the Time of Madness, saidin has been tainted by the Dark One's touch." (The Eye of the World,Glossary)

One Power#

"The power drawn from the True Source." (The Eye of the World,Glossary)
More at One Power.

Channeling#

  1. (verb) To control the flow of the One Power (The Eye of the World,Glossary)
  2. (noun) The act of controlling the flow of the One Power. (The Eye of the World,Glossary)

The One Power comes from the True Source, the driving force of Creation. The male half of the True Source, saidin, and the female half, saidar, work against each other and with each other to provide the force that turns the Wheel of Time. The True Source cannot be used up just as a river cannot be used up by a mill wheel. (TEotW,Ch12)

Men grow strong in the One Power faster than women. (ACoS,Ch7) Even after being raised to the shawl, Aes Sedai may take another five years before they reach their full strength. (NS,Ch17) Excessive luck and sudden unexpected rises in prominence can be early indicators of the ability to channel in men. (NS,Epilogue) Men generally begin channeling between the ages of sixteen and twenty-six. (New Spring)

Men can only weakly detect other men holding saidin. (TFoH,Prologue)

The female Forsaken know how to mask their ability to channel so that Aes Sedai cannot detect them. (ACoS,Prologue)

When channelers (men or women) hold the One Power it blurs the images that Min sees. When they actually channel it's even worse. (ACoS,Ch2)

Channelers slow. Between the ages of twenty and twenty-five they begin aging more slowly. (ACoS,Ch24)

Five Powers#

"There are threads to the One Power, and each person who can channel the One Power can usually grasp some threads better than others. These threads are named according to the sort of things that can be done using them - Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit - and are called the Five Powers....While Spirit was found equally in men and in women, great ability with Earth and/or Fire was found much more often among men, with Water and/or Air among women." (The Eye of the World, Glossary)

Saidar and Saidin#

Pronunciation: sah-ih-DAHR, sah-ih-DEEN

Saidar is the female half of the True Source and saidin is the male half of the True Source. Only a man can draw on saidin, only a woman on saidar. Saidin is fouled by the taint of the Dark One, like a thin slick of rancid oil on water. The water is still pure, but it cannot be touched without touching the foulness. (TEotW,Ch12) Their bonds, oaths and ties to the Great Lord protect the male Forsaken from the taint. (TFoH,Prologue)

Gentling/Stilling#

Gentling is

"the act, performed by Aes Sedai, of shutting off a male who can channel from the One Power...A man who has been gentled can still sense the True Source, but he cannot touch it." (The Eye of the World,Glossary)

Stilling is

"the act, performed by Aes Sedai, of shutting off a female who can channel from the One Power...A woman who has been stilled can still sense the True Source, but she cannot touch it." (The Eye of the World,Glossary)

True Power#

The Great Lord of the Dark provides his most favored minions with the True Power that comes directly from him. It is even more addictive and dangerous than the One Power. (ACoS,Ch20) Traveling using the True Power involves ripping a hole in the Pattern. (ACoS,Ch20) Users of the True Power such as Moridin develop saa or black spots that travel across the eyes. (ACoS,Ch25) In the Age of Legends only thirty were given this privilege by the Great Lord. (ACoS,Ch25)

The gholam can detect True Power weaves. He feels it as an itch somewhat different from the One Power. (TPoD,Ch2)

Since he became Nae'blis, only Moridin is allowed access to the True Power. (WH,Ch13)

Talents#

''Angreal'', ''Sa'angreal'', ''Ter'angreal''#

Copyright (c) 1998 by Gary Kephart